“West Coast IPA” is a term that is thrown around in Oregon so much that it’s almost useless at this point. Even so, I was excited to review my first beer from Sunriver Brewing, a newer brewer in Central Oregon. Vicious Mosquito IPA is the company’s flagship IPA and I was pleased to discover it in 20 ounce bottles here in the Willamette Valley.

How does it taste?

I’m not sure where the name came from, but I’m sure there’s a story there! This beer pours almost clear and has a very floral, citrusy smell. This IPA is graced by five different hops including Warrior, Cascade, Centennial, Columbus and Simcoe.

When you first sip this brew, you are hit in the face with a grapefruit-like, overwhelming punch of hops. It’s a punch that is brief, but it overwhelms your palette and leaves nothing in the way of malt kick to counter the hop attack.

It’s too much of a strong hop taste and I don’t like it. This, coming from an IPA fan.